Children: Marriage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many girls under the legal age of marriage but who had been married abroad were brought back to the United Kingdom in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Lord Bates: The UK is a world leader in tackling forced marriage. It is child abuse, domestic abuse and a form of violence against women and men and a serious abuse of human rights.
	The government does not hold data on the number of girls under the legal age of marriage who have been brought back to the UK. However, the government does hold information on the number of cases for which the forced marriage unit has provided advice and support. This information is in the table below. It is important to note that this statistic does not represent the number of forced marriage cases, but the number of calls and emails initiating contact with the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) about a victim or potential victim. Forced marriage cases are not necessarily reported to the FMU; through the unit’s outreach work, social workers and the police are becoming more skilled at dealing with forced marriage cases and so may not need to involve the unit. Where a case is being appropriately dealt with there is no obligation to inform the FMU.
	To provide more information on the nature of the assistance provided in all these cases, including those which have involved repatriation, would involve a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Forced marriage unit statistics 
			 Year Number of cases in which the Forced Marriage Unit provided advice or support related to a possible forced marriage 
			 2009 1,682 
			 2010 1,735 
			 2011 1,468 
			 2012 1,485 
			 2013 1,302 
		
	
	2014 figures are currently being compiled.

Congenital Abnormalities

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 31 December 2014 (HL3793), to what factors they attribute the rising trend in terminated pregnancies due to neural tube defects; and why the figures for the first three years
	in the answer differ substantially from the information provided by the Minister in the letter of 18 November 2013 following the debate on 6 November 2013 (HL Deb, cols 284–297).

Earl Howe: The proportion of terminations for neural tube defects per live births has been between 0.04% and 0.05% for the last 10 years.
	Data from the letter of 18 November 2013 are sourced from the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers and are estimates for England and Wales; whereas data from the written answer I gave on 31 December 2014, HL3794, are sourced from the Department’s official abortion statistics collected from Abortion Notification form HSA4 for all abortions in England and Wales. The different data sources used explain why the data given in the answer and the letter are different.

Counter-terrorism

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use for assessing the effectiveness of the Prevent and Channel counter-terrorism programmes; what targets have been set for any aspects of these programmes; and what key performance indicators are in place.

Lord Bates: The Home Office assess the effectiveness of the Prevent and Channel programmes through a range of performance mechanisms.
	We have publically reported on a number of performance indicators such as internet removals and projects delivered. For example, since December 2013 over 53,000 pieces of unlawful terrorist-related content which encourages or glorifies acts of terrorism have been removed from the internet. And since 2011, 180 local projects have been delivered in Prevent priority areas, including projects in education, internet safety, and families.

Diabetes

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve food labelling to assist diabetes sufferers.

Earl Howe: The nutrients that can be declared on pre-packed food are defined by law. Under current legislation, companies already providing nutrition information on a voluntary basis are required to declare carbohydrate value. From December 2016, the majority of pre-packaged foods will be required to carry nutrition information, including on carbohydrate value, on the back of pack.
	Additionally, the new EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 allows energy value only or energy value plus amounts of fat, saturates, sugars and salt to be voluntarily repeated on front of pack. In June 2013 we published a Government recommendation on how this information could be provided clearly and consistently. To date, companies accounting for nearly two thirds of pre-packaged food have said they will use this new scheme.

Duke of York

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what journeys costing over £10,000, and funded as part of the Royal travel programme in connection with Foreign and Commonwealth Office business, have been undertaken by the Duke of York since 6 April 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since 6 April 2014 His Royal Highness the Duke of York has travelled to Kuwait, Germany, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia in pursuit of Foreign and Commonwealth Office objectives. Air travel for official visits to and from countries and in-country is paid for by the Royal Travel Budget which comes out of the Sovereign Grant. The total cost can be obtained from the Sovereign Grant Annual Report that forms part of the Royal Public Finances annual report. Following the publication of Buckingham Palace’s audited accounts for the year ending March 2015 the details will be available on the British monarchy website.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the government of Italy’s proposal that the time has come for a “new start” on relations with Eritrea and for Eritrea's “full reinstatement as a responsible actor and key member of the international community in the stabilisation of this region”, in the light of the commitment to co-operation with European Union partners on the implementation of the Eritrea Country Programme and the human rights record in Eritrea.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK’s priorities in Eritrea are to support improvements in human rights and strengthening of the rule of law. To this end, we welcome Eritrea’s ratification in September last year of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. We also welcome its participation in the EU – African Union “Khartoum Process” to tackle human trafficking in the region.
	However, we continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Eritrea. The UK continues to call on Eritrea to allow the UN Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights access to the country to demonstrate its commitment to the international community. We will continue to monitor the situation via our Embassy in Asmara, alongside EU partners in country.

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date in the first quarter of 2015 Public Health England expect to publish the results of the blood folate analysis carried out by the Centre for Disease Control on the samples from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Earl Howe: Public Health England (PHE) expects to publish the results for folate levels in blood samples from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in mid-March 2015. The exact publication date will be pre-announced on the PHE statistics page of GOV.UK, in line with official statistics procedures.

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in setting up a laboratory in the United Kingdom able to conduct blood folate status analysis.

Earl Howe: The Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research are in the process of setting up the new method for serum folate in their laboratories in Cambridge, working closely with scientists at the Centre for Disease Control in the United States, who are the leading international experts on this analysis. Work is well advanced and it is hoped that the method will be ready to use to analyse blood samples collected in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey later this year.

Hepatitis: Drugs

Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect that new treatments for Hepatitis C with cure rates in excess of 90 per cent will be made available on the National Health Service.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation has taken place on NHS England's request to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to defer the implementation of its guidance on the use of sofosbuvir for patients with Hepatitis C.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on patient health of the delay of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for Sovaldi for the treatment of Hepatitis C.

Earl Howe: I refer my Noble Friend to the Answer I gave to Lord Hunt of Kings Heath in response to his Question HL3887 on 19 January 2015.

HIV Infection

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the reasons for their decision to reduce funding for the national HIV prevention programme in England by half for the year commencing in April 2015; and what plans they have for the programme from 2016 onwards.

Earl Howe: We have no plans to reduce funding for the national HIV prevention programme for 2015-16.
	Plans for the national HIV prevention programme beyond 2016 will be subject to decisions arising from the next comprehensive spending review.

Holiday Accommodation: Greater London

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (HL3614, HL3615, and HL3616), whether they will now answer question HL3615.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government intends to publish a formal response to the consultation on the Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector shortly.

House of Lords: Work Experience

Lord Storey: To ask the Chairman of Committees how many internships are offered by the House of Lords Administration.

Lord Sewel: The House of Lords Administration offers three internships: one in the Committee Office and two in the library. These posts are salaried. In addition, the Administration offers an apprenticeship in the library and up to 24 work experience placements for school students.

Housing: Construction

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new homes in the owner-occupied, private rented and social rented sector have been constructed in each of the last 20 years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Annual statistics on house building completions by tenure in England are published in the Department's live table 244 which is available at the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	The ‘private rented’ and 'owner-occupied’ sectors will be included in the private enterprise tenure. Taken together, house building statistics by housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
	Over 506,000 new homes have been delivered since April 2010. Starts on new homes in the past year totalled 139,500 – up by 17 per cent on the previous year, and the highest annual total since 2007.
	More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority since 2009-10 by local authority district are available at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-statistics
	http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/housing-land/increasing-housing-supply/gla-affordable-housing-statistics
	These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions but exclude delivery of affordable housing not funded by Homes and Communities Agency or Greater London Authority programmes that are reported in local authority returns to the Department. A fuller picture of all affordable housing completions is published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Housing: Prices

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the trend rate of real house price growth over the past 20 years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department has not analysed trends in real house prices over the time period asked for. Different methods can be used to produce different estimates.
	The latest Office for National Statistics figures on house prices can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/hpi/house-price-index/november-2014/index.html
	The latest Office for National Statistics figures on inflation measures can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ ons/rel/cpi/consumer-price-indices/december-2014/stb ---consumer-price-indices---november-2014.html

Human Trafficking

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they allocate to tackling people trafficking each year; and how many people have been convicted of such crimes in the last year.

Lord Bates: The Government does not set a specific budget for tackling different crime types. As the Government’s Modern Slavery Strategy sets out, there are a very wide range of Government-funded organisations with a key role to play in tackling modern slavery and human trafficking. It is not possible to identify the total investment in this activity.
	Modern slavery is a hidden crime and a wide range of work is undertaken to not only tackle this crime through law enforcement organisations, but to also highlight it and raise public awareness. Bringing this complex crime into the open, will in turn help us stamp it out more effectively. In addition, the Government has introduced a new statutory role, the Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner, responsible for improving awareness and detection by law enforcement, as well as working with partners to increase the number of successful prosecutions of the perpetrators of modern slavery. Kevin Hyland was appointed as the designate Commissioner in November 2014.
	Conviction figures for 2014 have yet to be published. In 2013, there were 68 convictions on an all offence basis. These offences were: trafficking for sexual exploitation; trafficking for non-sexual exploitation; and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. In addition, individuals will have been convicted for conspiracy for conduct relating to modern slavery and trafficking offences, but the conviction data available cannot be disaggregated in this way.

Internet

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to legislation to ban all forms of anonymity online.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government believes anonymity online is an important protection for people living in oppressive regimes around the world. That said, anonymous posting should not be a tool to help those seeking to abuse others online. The Government expects all social media to make it easy for users to choose not to receive anonymous posts, to have simple mechanisms for reporting abuse and to take action promptly when abuse is reported.
	Removing the ability to make anonymous postings will not prevent cyber bullying behaviour. Protecting children online is everyone’s responsibility. The position remains that where something is illegal offline it is also illegal online and there is already legislation which applies.

Internet: Bullying

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the establishment of cyber-abuse and internet trolling research, either independent of, or in concert with, existing government statistical research agencies, to generate statistical research and clarify issues, with a view to reducing and eliminating internet trolling activity.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Research is already being carried out into abusive behaviour online. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) established a Research Working Group in 2010 which has undertaken to collate research on all aspects of internet safety affecting children, including trolling. UKCCIS has also presented reports, such as “Good practice guidance for the providers of social networking and other user-interactive services” which looks at the issue of online bullying. This guidance is currently under review.
	In addition, Ofcom is very active in researching online abuse. It publishes the “Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report” on an annual basis. This looks at how children deal with online dangers and how best to improve resilience to online dangers, such as trolling. Earlier this month, it published the “Report on Internet safety measures - Strategies of parental protection for children online” which examines the online safety measures available and how they are used by children.
	At present, there are no plans for further statistical research into this behaviour between adults who are trolls. For those whose online postings are grossly offensive, obscene, indecent or false, it remains the case that what is illegal offline is illegal online. The House of Lords Communications Select Committee stated in their report into Social Media and Criminal Offences that the criminal law in this area, almost entirely enacted before the invention of social media, is generally appropriate for the prosecution of offences committed using social media.

Iraq

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have studied the report by Amnesty International detailing the extent of sexual violence by Islamic State on Yazidi women in Iraq; and whether they will now increase the number of refugees from the region being resettled in the United Kingdom, including Yazidi survivors of sexual violence.

Lord Bates: The Government is aware of Amnesty International’s report and condemns all forms of sexual violence. However the Government does not consider that a policy of increasing the number of refugees resettled from the affected region is the most effective way to address the suffering of those displaced.
	We believe we can make a greater impact and help more people through the provision of substantial humanitarian aid in the region and by working with the Iraqi government and international partners to find a solution to the conflict. The UK has committed £39.5 million to meet humanitarian needs in Iraq, including shelter, water, sanitation and medical care. Our aid is reaching displaced people across Iraq, including in the Kurdish region, where many Yazidis have fled to. We are also working with the Iraqi government and the international community to tackle the threat posed by ISIL and promote an inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq which will protect all Iraqi citizens.
	The UK is ready to assist those from Iraq and other war-torn areas of the Middle East who come here in search of protection from violent persecution. We do so without discrimination, in accordance with the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.
	The Government believes that this approach is the best way to help Iraqi nationals who have left their countries, and we therefore have no current plans to implement or extend resettlement schemes.

Mental Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of investment in mental health services through the Better Care Fund on pressures in the healthcare system, and in particular on accident and emergency services.

Earl Howe: Health and Wellbeing Boards have developed plans for implementing the Better Care Fund which will provide a joint approach to the planning and delivery of health and social care services to the most at risk members of their population, including those with mental health needs.
	The plans submitted in September were subject to a robust assurance process, and make provision for the pooling of £5.3 billion to achieve this aim. Included within this is planned investment of £317 million in mental health services.
	A particular focus of the Better Care Fund is to reduce the number of unplanned, emergency admissions to hospital which will address pressures on the health and social care systems and result in better experience and outcomes for people.
	Better Care Fund plans will not start to be implemented until 1 April 2015. However we already know that the local plans set out approaches to provide more care in the community and in people’s homes, with more
	responsive, proactive services, and reducing the need to go to hospital, including for those with mental health needs.
	The Better Care Fund will be subject to a rigorous evaluation that will include the impact on particular patient groups (e.g. mental health) and the role of the Better Care Fund in reducing pressures within the health care system, such as accident and emergency.

Milk

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the long term sustainability of milk production in the United Kingdom.

Lord De Mauley: The Government understands the concerns of British farmers over the current pressures on milk prices caused by the volatility of the global market. We want a competitive and resilient dairy industry that can take advantage of opportunities.
	We will continue to work closely with the dairy industry as a whole to manage price volatility. At last week’s farming resilience summit George Eustice discussed ways of offering support to address the problems of severe market volatility with the NFU, high street banks, and farming industry experts.
	It is important to remember that the long-term prospects are bright with exports at record levels. We are helping the dairy industry to take advantage of opportunities such as opening new export markets. The £141 million Countryside Productivity Scheme will include measures to help dairy farmers. We are pushing for better country of origin labelling for British dairy products.

Milk

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking with supermarkets, processors and dairy farmers to ensure that the price paid for milk reflects the costs of production.

Lord De Mauley: All operators in the supply chain should receive a fair price for their goods. We regularly bring together supermarkets, processors and farmers through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum to discuss issues such as collaboration, risk management and market volatility. At the Farming Resilience summit on 14 January, George Eustice discussed with the NFU and a range of industry bodies how to help manage volatility such as through the creation of a futures market.

Nigeria

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by Islamist military action in Nigeria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Nigeria faces a serious threat from Boko Haram. We believe that more than 4000 people were killed by the group last year in north-east Nigeria. The UN estimates that over 1.5 million people have been displaced by terrorist activities and at least 3 million have been affected by the insurgency.
	Addressing the threat from Boko Haram is primarily the responsibility of the Nigerian authorities. However, the UK, along with other international partners, is providing support to Nigeria and its neighbours in their efforts to defeat Boko Haram. This support includes a range of intelligence, military and development assistance, both to support current operations and to help tackle the long term causes of instability.

Nigeria

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the human rights situation in Nigeria; and whether they have offered any assistance to the government of Nigeria in connection with the terrorist threat by Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Over the last year, Boko Haram insurgents have committed widespread human rights abuses across north east Nigeria. These have included bombings, killings, abductions and sexual violence. A number of non-governmental organisations have also reported that human rights violations have been committed by the Nigerian Security Forces during their fight against Boko Haram. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities at all levels that, while we support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, we do not condone human rights violations.
	We are providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria to help its fight against Boko Haram. This includes training and advice to Nigerian units deploying against Boko Haram, intelligence support and assistance to the Nigerians in bringing increased development and prosperity to the North East.

Obesity

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the additional costs over the next five years of converting existing or purchasing new ambulances in order to convey patients who are grossly obese.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of new hospitals that will be required by 2025 on the basis of trends in the growth of obese patients.

Earl Howe: NHS England is responsible for capacity planning in the National Health Service and this includes decisions on new hospitals and ensuring ambulances are able to meet the demands of the community. Its Five Year Forward View, published in October,
	recognises the challenges facing the NHS including tackling obesity and provides new and innovative models of care to meet the demands of the future.

Office of Rail Regulation

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Office of Rail Regulation.

Baroness Kramer: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament. The Secretary of State appoints the Chair and other board members and Ministers and Department for Transport officials meet regularly with ORR to discuss a wide range of issues including regulatory matters and railway performance.

Pakistan

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Pakistan about the proposed resumption of the use of the death penalty in Pakistan; and what is their assessment of the use of the death penalty in Pakistan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have consistently pressed the Government of Pakistan on the issue of the death penalty. It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We fully understand Pakistan’s resolve to protect society from terrorism but there is no conclusive evidence that capital punishment is an effective deterrent. The UK remains opposed to the death penalty in all cases.

Passports

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is current practice to stamp passports of British and foreign nationals on departure and arrival at airports; and, if not, whether that practice will be re-introduced as part of the proposed changes to the monitoring of migration.

Lord Bates: All passengers arriving in the UK are subject to border checks. Those who require to be given leave to enter have their passports stamped with the appropriate conditions of stay. Passports are not stamped on departure. There are no plans to change these practices.

Sleeping Rough

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will respond to Let's make the difference: A manifesto to end homelessness by Homeless Link in advance of the general election.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for co-ordinating the services and provisions needed by those sleeping rough.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to assist rough sleepers, and in particular homeless military veterans.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
	The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
	There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
	Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
	We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
	We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
	Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis.
	By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
	We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
	It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.

Syria

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, whether they will list by country how many Syrian refugees have been accepted by each of the European Union member states.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, how many Syrian refugees have been accepted in the United Kingdom; over what period they have arrived here; how many have been settled or are in the process of being settled; what settlement rights have been conferred on them; and in what areas of the United Kingdom they are living.

Lord Bates: The resettlement pledges for all countries including those from European Union member states is listed on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) website. The direct link to this page is as follows: http://www.un hcr.org/52b2febafc5.html
	Ninety people were relocated to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme between the first group of arrivals on 25 March and the end of September 2014. This is the latest publicly available figure, as numbers are released as part of the publication of Home Office official statistics each quarter; the number of arrivals under the scheme up to December 2014 will be published on 26 February.
	Potential beneficiaries of the scheme are identified and referred to us by UNHCR. Given the serious vulnerability of the beneficiaries, our priority is to ensure that the support and accommodation they need is in place before they arrive in the UK. We are working closely with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local authorities to achieve this as soon as practically possible as the circumstances of each particular case allow. In these circumstances it is not possible to provide information on the number of individuals in any part of the resettlement process at any given time.
	Beneficiaries of the scheme are granted five years’ Humanitarian Protection with all the rights and benefits that go with that status, including access to public funds, access to the labour market and the possibility of family reunion.
	As the scheme is based on vulnerability - including women and children at risk, people with medical needs and survivors of torture and violence - it would not be appropriate for us to release specific details of where individuals are being placed, as this risks undermining their privacy and recovery.

Syria

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 13 January, what action is being taken to respond to UNICEF’s report published on 11 January that UNICEF need additional resources to respond to winter conditions affecting refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Syria.

Baroness Northover: In Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, DFID is supporting 13 implementing partners to carry out planned winterisation activities totalling over £32 million. This will provide an estimated 660,000 vulnerable people with items such as warm clothing, thermal blankets, mattresses, stoves, cash/vouchers and shelter support. In addition to our ongoing support to UNICEF in Syria and the region, a further £2 million has been provided to procure 65,000 blankets for Aleppo and Tartous in Syria reaching 32,500 children, and clothing kits for 45,000 children.

Ukraine

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Ukraine about the humanitarian situation in Eastern Ukraine and the role of pro-Kiev volunteers in that region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is regularly raised by British Ministers and officials. Our Ambassador to Ukraine wrote to Prime Minister Yatseniuk on 14 January 2015 to express the UK’s concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the subsequent unrest in the eastern regions. He underlined UK support towards mitigating the humanitarian impacts of the situation in the Donbas. We are very concerned by reports from organisations such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International on the actions of certain pro-Kyiv battalions operating in the eastern regions, who have allegedly been involved in abuses including abductions, unlawful detention and ill-treatment. Embassy officials have raised our concerns with the Ukrainian President’s Office and we will continue to call on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that independent investigations take place into all serious allegations of violations, whether by the pro-Kyiv forces or the separatists.